This is how I pack small plants to mail them. 
I start with a little plant that is going to a new home.
I carefully put a thin stick into the dirt near the stem, careful to not break the roots, and use a couple small pieces of wick to gently tie the plant to it. This keeps the plant from flopping around too much and makes it easier to wrap the base in paper without snapping the plant's stem.
Tear a piece of paper towel in half and wrap it around the base so that the dirt can't fall out. Use packing tape to hold the paper in place:
I check that the dirt is held in place well by turning the plant upside down and shaking it a bit:
If no dirt falls out I put the planter into the bottom half of a washed out bottle. This pot is a bit big for this bottle so I didn't need anything to keep it in place because of friction. With a smaller pot I'd wrap paper towels around it to hold it in place.
I wrap a few more 1/2-piece strips of paper towel around the lower part of the plant. This is pretty loose; its just to keep it from moving too much but you want air to still be able to get to the leaves. Put the top of the bottle back on and use more packing tape to seal it up.
Now the plant is safe and can be put into a priority mail tube for mailing, a backpack for bringing to a friend, ect.
I start with a little plant that is going to a new home.
I carefully put a thin stick into the dirt near the stem, careful to not break the roots, and use a couple small pieces of wick to gently tie the plant to it. This keeps the plant from flopping around too much and makes it easier to wrap the base in paper without snapping the plant's stem.
Tear a piece of paper towel in half and wrap it around the base so that the dirt can't fall out. Use packing tape to hold the paper in place:
I check that the dirt is held in place well by turning the plant upside down and shaking it a bit:
If no dirt falls out I put the planter into the bottom half of a washed out bottle. This pot is a bit big for this bottle so I didn't need anything to keep it in place because of friction. With a smaller pot I'd wrap paper towels around it to hold it in place.
I wrap a few more 1/2-piece strips of paper towel around the lower part of the plant. This is pretty loose; its just to keep it from moving too much but you want air to still be able to get to the leaves. Put the top of the bottle back on and use more packing tape to seal it up.
Now the plant is safe and can be put into a priority mail tube for mailing, a backpack for bringing to a friend, ect.
